2009-2010 D-League Preview / Power Rankings (Part One)November 27, 2009Jefferson has used the D-League better than any player the past few years as he has gone from a raw, passive, pass-first point guard (3.2 ppg in college at Arkansas) to a legitimate offensive threat scoring 18.2 ppg last year with Utah. 6-5 and long-armed, defense is still his calling card, which is why Larry Brown liked him enough in Charlotte last season to keep him around until the end of the season. He must continue to work on his shooting range this season to garner legit NBA looks. [Read Full Article]D-League Pre-Draft Power Rankings / Allocation ListNovember 7, 2008Similar to Baker, he played all of 06-07 with Dakota and part of 07-08 before being bought out by a European team (Barons Riga in Latvia). Jefferson is a very versatile 6-4 point guard, showing nice athleticism, the ability to lock-down multiple positions defensively, good court vision and an improving feel for putting the ball in the basket. He is the definition of a late-bloomer and improved by leaps and bounds in two seasons in the D-League. He passed up numerous overseas offers to give the NBA another shot, and it will be interesting to see how much he improves this season. [Read Full Article]NBA D-League Showcase, Day ThreeJanuary 17, 2008This was a much better all-around performance for Dontell Jefferson, looking much more aggressive than he did in the first game, and therefore much more effective.

We already talked about how much we like Jeffrson’s upside last year, and it really seems like he’s translating that potential into production this year. He’s scoring the ball much better, is looking much more creative offensively, and still the same excellent defender he’s always been.

Jefferson is a 6-4 point guard with long arms and outstanding athleticism, although he didn’t get to show as much of his playmaking skills as we may have hoped here, sharing the ball with the very dominant Maurice Baker, one of the top players seen at the Showcase. He regardless showcased a very nice first step and the ability to create his own shot very effectively, and basic passing skills on the drive and dish. He needs to improve his decision making in the half-court, but gives off the impression that he’s clearly a point guard rather than a combo. He can also pull-up off the dribble, which he did nicely on a couple of occasions. His 3-point stroke looks better than it did last year (albeit with a slow release), but the results weren’t as good as they’ve been all season long. If a shorter man is on him (which is often the case) he can take him down to the post a little bit and score with his back to the basket.

Defensively is where Jefferson is at his best, as he has terrific tools to get the job done (size, length, athleticism), and is fully committed to the task, getting right into his man’s face in a fundamental stance and being extremely disruptive, particularly in the passing lanes. He needs to get stronger, but is very effective here.

People are quietly talking about Jefferson as one of the more intriguing long-term prospects here in Boise. He’s nowhere near reaching his full potential at this point, but seems to have quite a future ahead of him. It could be in the NBA, or it could be in Europe. [Read Full Article]NBA D-League Showcase, Day OneJanuary 15, 2008Dontell Jefferson had been playing well entering the showcase, but struggled to get anything going today on the offensive end. With Maurice Baker playing well, Jefferson wasn’t a key part of the offense for the Wizards today, and struggled with his perimeter shot on a few spot-up looks. He is shooting 40% from three this season, and a poor shooting game shouldn’t deter scouts from looking at his play over the course of the season. The point guard did have a better showing defensively, where he pressured the Iowa guards throughout the game. With the ball out of his hands for most of the game, we didn’t really get an in-depth look at his point guard skills today. The 24 year-old guard had an off day, but should bounce back later this week. [Read Full Article]Translating Potential into Production; The D-League is WorkingJanuary 21, 2007A player who averaged only 3 points per game as a senior at Arkansas, starting at the point guard spot next to Ronnie Brewer, Jefferson seems to have plenty of upside that he’s still yet to fully tap into. After averaging only 18 minutes per game in his first 10 contests in the D-League, he’s now fully embraced the starting point guard role for the Dakota Wizards, one of the best teams in the D-League, and is averaging 29 minutes per game in his last 10. Over that stretch, he’s dishing out 7 assists and scoring 14 points per game, and his team is 8-2.

Jefferson has outstanding physical attributes to play the point guard position. He has great size at 6-5, a nice wingspan and very good athletic ability, particularly his quickness and leaping ability. Jefferson uses these physical attributes to his advantage on the defensive end especially, showing terrific lateral quickness and the ability to get in the passing lanes.

As a point guard, Jefferson has solid ball-handling skills and the ability to make the kind of passes you’d expect from a pass-first playmaker. At the showcase he showed very nice court vision, using bounce passes, post-entry lobs, and the drive and dish to get all his teammates involved, and looked especially promising running the pick and roll. He was a bit out of control at times, needing to learn how to change speeds, pick his spots and control tempo better, but you can certainly tell that the upside is there. He’s not ready to make any kind of impact in the NBA any time soon, but he’s a guy that teams need to keep track of to see how he develops over the next few years. Improving his scoring tools is a must, including expanding the range on his shot. [Read Full Article]